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To the East

May 2023 - April 2024
Korea, Mongolia, Thailand and Bhutan Read more
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  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 1

    See you later Vancouver

    May 2, 2023 ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Oddly strange to write a post for this day as it's a travel day, but it does begin the trip lol. It's been awhile since I've had significant solo time on a trip. My past trips have only included a few days on my own before and after tours, so this is going to be interesting. I am meeting friends in Seoul and Gyeonju though so that helps with breaking up the solo time =)Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 2

    Hello Seoul

    May 3, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Losing a day with the time change, I'll recap my flight experience. Initially lucking out with an empty middle seat, an older Korean couple asked the lady on the aisle to switch seats, there beginning a little game of musical seats. The husband would end up in that aisle seat and his wife in the one in front of him.

    He was a funny sweet grandpa who insisted I use sesame oil and gochujang (chili paste) on my bibimbap. After declining politely, I finally gave in and added a little bit. Well, it made him proud and guess what, not as spicy as I imagined. If anything, the food needed it. Later on, he would be call me out to wipe/clean my hands before our second meal.

    The middle seat didn't stay empty for long though. His wife came to join our row as he moved over. Reason? Turns out she needed to massage his legs and feet for circulation. Propped on the pull down table, it was a weird sight, but sweet the same time. Ah love.

    With our second meal, they also got me an additional tube of gochujang from the flight attendants for me to take home. I tried to decline and ended up packing it. It looks like a tube of toothpaste but I have a funny feeling I probably will use it when I get home.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 3

    A Tourist in Seoul

    May 4, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    My first day on my own and I'm going to play tourist. After lining up for a scrumptious breakfast at Isaac Toast, it was off to Gyeongbokgung, Seoul's main palace. I'd chosen to come on a week day hoping for a smaller crowd, but it was still a decent size. (When I left, it was even crazier, so go early).

    Numerous folks were dressed in hanboks and traditional costumes. A few guys even wore hanboks, but hey, it's 2023. A part of me was tempted to rent one, but alas, they look beautiful in photos and when you're on your own, most of the photos you'll take are selfies, unless you use a timer.

    The palace was fairly large but easy to roam around and check out the various buildings for a glimpse of my first Korean palace. A walk around and then catching the tail end of the changing of the guard, before hitting up my second spot of the day: Bukchon Hanok Village.

    Bukchon Hanok Village is a cute area where people still live in traditional houses. Some of the streets are picturesque and you've seen these on Instagram. It's important to keep your voices low though to respect the residents. There's a couple of shops near the entrance to the village, but the beauty is exploring a piece of architectural history.

    From there a quick jaunt to Cafe Onion where a line up awaited me. Seems I will have to get used to lines in Seoul as this was my 2nd of the day already with breakfast being the 1st. This particular location of Cafe Onion is set in a hanok, not far from hanok village. It has a beautiful selection of baked goods both savory and sweet and I would've loved to try more than 1 item, but alas, one of the downsides to solo travel, you are unfortunately limited to the size of 1 stomach when it comes to ordering variety.

    Despite the rest at the cafe, my feet have still yet to get into vacation mode. I love walking but it was getting tiring. Hopping on my 1st bus, I made my way to Ihwa Mural Village. (Thank you Naver for giving me the confidence to take a local bus with limited English signage). The number of murals in Ihwa are dwindling as local residents have been unhappy with it given the number of visitors they draw. It's another area to be respectful and keep voices down.

    One of the reasons for the murals was to brighten up the neighbourhood and bring back life to it, but alas it sounds like the government is still planning to tear it down and rebuild. It's disappointing but most of the residents have either moved away or are elderly. None of the young people want to live there as it's also quick a trek from public transportation instead.

    Nearby, I head to Dongdaemun to meet up with my night walking tour that I found on AirB&B. They take you walking along the fortress walls, have a drink overlooking the city and then to Korean BBQ, which really is great for the solo traveller since you can't really BBQ on your own. The walk was split into 2 before and after the cafe drink. It was a dream come true as we sat down in a cafe I'd noticed earlier while in Ihwa. Why? The view looked amazing but I'm sure I wouldn't have come on my own after dark.

    The BBQ was great fun as well, though it turns out they cook the meat for you. Definitely a group experience and I'm glad I joined in as it rounded out a pretty full day.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 4

    Catching up

    May 5, 2023 in South Korea

    Rain. The weather was not ideal for exploring, but when you're catching up with an old friend, we just have to work with what Mother Nature decided to send our way. Started today off with a japchae hotteok (pancake) from Namdaemun market and oh WOW it was SO delicious! I only ordered one, but really you want more than one.

    After that, it was onto a bus bound for Yeoido Station to meet my friend Stephanie from my accounting program. She moved back to Seoul a few years ago with her parents and has been here since. Our initial plan was going to be outdoors, but with the weather warnings, we played in safe by going to the mall.

    The mall you ask? Well, it's a pretty cool one, The Hyundai Seoul. Touted as one of the hottest and hippest places for locals. The 1st floor is a food floor that you'll probably spend the most of your time and the restaurant floor on level 6. It was nice to just walk and talk in between taking in a delicious lunch and dessert x2. Lunch was an abalone and meat set while dessert featured ice cream and then cakes from Layered Cafe, carrying out my cafe spree.

    Seoul has a huge themed cafe presence, from Cafe Onion yesterday to Layered today, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Instagram. As the trip goes on, they're a daily fixture on my itinerary - though it was challenging to keep up in Jeju.

    After desserts, we headed over to COEX, another mall locals frequest. This one is known for the beautiful Starfield Library that also graces Instagram. It has it's own cafe as well, and the library is full of visitors taking in the place. For a split second I wonder whether it's a bookstore or a library. I don't quite see a check out desk but I suppose it's an honor system. Silent though, it was not, with the number of people milling about.

    A break in the rain, it was off to round 3 of dessert - gotta have Bingsu! Shaved Korean ice milk fyi. We headed to a place called Sulbing and ordered a mango pineapple shaved ice to share. I kid you not, pretty much everything here seems meant to be shared. Luckily we agreed on a flavor as it really would be too much for 1 person otherwise.

    One more stop on the itinerary - Bonguensa Temple. I read it's best to visit after sunset as all of its numerous lanterns would be lit. What they fail to say is that the lanterns are not lit when weather warnings are issued - at least that's what I'm going with since the lanterns were not lit. The temple was still beautiful, but I imagine would've been stunning with lit lanterns.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 5

    Stormy Seoul

    May 6, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Wind. Rain. Repeat. Keep. That was certainly the morning routine. I hid out in my hotel room for most of the morning as I listened and watched the rain blow sideways. But I knew I couldn't spend the day hiding away. My sister sent me a Michelin star restaurant nearby so I popped out to grab some bibimbap, and seafood pancake. Once again, too much food for 1 person but when I saw a lady at the table next to me doing the same and packing part of the pancake, I did the same - yes this would become breakfast the next day.

    After lunch, and some suggestions from my sister, it was time to seize the day and make the best of it. First stop, the DDP near Dongaemun, a design plaza. I wandered around but the exhibits and changed inside. I didn't spend too much time outdoors with the rain so I may need to make a return trip.

    Stop 2 - Hikr Ground, now this is a neat free space showcasing modern Korean culture. The floor the most fun was definitely the K pop video stages where you can either take photos or dance your heart out like your K pop idol would. A few floors up, there's also an interactive exhibit where you can drag your hands on the walls to make fireworks and fireflies dance as the projected video shows you certain festivals in Seoul.

    Stop 3 - the rain slows and the streets dry out. I headed to Insadong, initially for another mall-like place, but instead found myself strolling the pedestrian only street. It was nice to see the craft shops and other shopping stores.

    From there a jaunt out to Ttukseom Hangang Park, the location of an evening drone show as part of a week long festival. Quite the experience sitting with the locals as we eagerly waited for the show to start. I haven't seen this much people in one place since before Covid (ok, and the malls were quite busy yesterday as well), but everyone was in good spirits.

    The show didn't start on time, but I knew it was still on. I'm not sure if the delay might've been to the winds still blowing in the area, and the announcements were in Korean. Since no one left, I stayed put as well and was not disappointed. The show was short, but still fun.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 6

    A blast to the past - Gyeongju part 1

    May 7, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Left Seoul this morning to head to Gyeongju using a KTX train. It was a fairly quick and quiet ride, but the wet weather seems to have followed me. After meeting my friend at the station, the rain starting to pour and it was cold. Luckily we were meeting another friend of mine who was going to take us to the farther points of interest that would've been difficult/time consuming for us to bus to.

    Our 1st stop was Yang Dong Folk Village. Locals still live here but visitors can wander the picturesque village and check out the historic houses that have been maintained.

    Next stop was lunch, I ended up ordering a tofu stew (being wary of the spice level of the seafood stew), and it was a whole lot of tofu! One of the gals travelling with us also bought Hwangnam-ppang for us to try. This is a Gyeongju specialty bread which is a pastry filled with red bean paste. Perfect 2 bite size.

    Next we hurried to Golgulsa Temple and a grotto, both very quick visits due to rain. A coffee shop by the lake and then we were dropped off at our hotel.

    Our highlight of the day was our night visit to Donggung Palace & Wolji Pond. Easily the most beautiful site I saw in all of Korea and the must see/do thing when in Gyeongju, so you really do need to stay the night. The palace was not only light up beautifully, but the pond reflecting those lights, creating a beautiful space you never want to leave.

    As we had a late lunch, dinner was Korean Fried Chicken and cup ramen from the convenience store =) Quick and comfort as we rest up for day 2 in Gyeongju.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 7

    A Blast to the Past - Gyeongju pt2/Busan

    May 8, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Day 2 Gyeongju - relying on our feet, we set out early to start explore the sites closer to our hotel. The sun has returned and it's super warm. First up was Gyochon Traditional Village. Unlike Yangdong where I thoroughly enjoyed the tranquility of the countryside, I felt Gyochon was a bit touristy as it was smaller and seemed like a number of the houses had been converted to cafes. What was cool though was the Woljeongyo Bridge right nearby. Since it was early, we were able to take photos without people in them.

    Next stop, a quick jaunt over to Cheomseongdae, an observatory dating from back to the Shilla dynasty. It's a lot shorter than I expected but I guess back then, it was the highest point around (before tombs were built nearby looking like mounds).

    Lunch stop next at Dong Ri where we had tteok-galbi, grilled beef, another local specialty. I was really glad my friend found this place. It's small and off the main strip of Hwangnidan, but we didn't have to wait as it was a weekday. A delicious meal with all the banchan as well and I totally recommend checking this place out.

    Back to Hwangnidan, it is a super cute touristy area with shops, restaurants and cafes. There's also some cool murals. We really enjoyed strolling around and stopping into various cafes to have a drink and dessert. It also borders the Daereungwon Tomb Complex which is a lush green area with a number of tomb mounds from Shilla royalty and nobles. The path is quite easy to follow around and you can even see some of the items buried in one of the largest of the mounds.

    More coffee shops later, it was time to head to the train station and go our separate ways. My friend back to Seoul, and myself to Busan.

    The ride to Busan was a quick 20 min, but as it was evening, after checking in, I really just had time to check out the night market. Not too hungry after dessert earlier, I just grabbed a few snacks - grilled squid, bimbap and lamb steak chunks.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 8

    Busan

    May 9, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After arriving last night, I'm left with 2 full days in Busan. In hindsight, a 3rd day would've been nice and if I was with a friend, we probably could've also done the luge centre, Museum 1 and Spa World, plus a hike or two, or explored more of Semyeon.

    First things first, breakfast! I hunted down an Egg Drop for breakfast. It was good, but not as good as Isaac Toast. Then off to the bus to visit Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, a temple of the sea. It is as beautiful as the pictures and not too hard to get to. I even lit a candle to make a wish =)

    Next up cafe time! Checking out Cafe Rooftop and Cafe in Busan, both are really cool places but only accessible by bus, so time management did get challenging before walking to Haeundae Beach. This is another neighborhood that's popular to stay in, but I find and agree that Semyeon where I was is more central. From one of the cafes, there's also an option to take a tourist beach train or Sky Capsule to get to the beach, but like a number of things in Korea, best to share the cost with fellow travellers.

    From the beach, I was off to Oryukudo Skywalk. Really making tracks today. There's a hill you can hike up as well for views - or you can take a longer sunrise hike. Pit stop for milmyeon noodles at Samjin Eomuk near Busan Station on a friend's recommendation. Delicious! And I was early enough to avoid the line!

    Tonight I'd booked a night photography tour on Klook. My primary reason for it was a way to see Busan at night, and boy did we from a locals point of view and gaining access to viewpoints we may have never visited on our own. The bonus of this tour with Jesse is that he's also a photographer who'll take your photos and send them to you after.

    Because we went in May, we also lucked out with our last stop, Samgwansa Temple with was lit with thousands of lanterns for the upcoming festival. A stunning sight and he also sent us a photo of the lanterns from above so we could see the pattern it created. This temple stop did make our tour end late but thankfully the drop off was the metro station right by my hotel. For the others, they luckily caught the last train back to their hotels.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 9

    Busan

    May 10, 2023 in South Korea

    2nd full day in Busan and it is a packed one. More tightly because of taking the wrong bus but oh well.

    First up Taejondae Park, a nice stroll around the cliffs. There's a boat tour as well, but I just missed it and wasn't up to waiting around an hour. Check times before you go. After that, off to the Jagalchi Market with all the seafood I've seen and not seen before. You can order items at the stalls on the ground floor and they'll cook it upstairs in the restaurants, or you can just order directly from the restaurants. The prices can seem a bit high for the solo traveller, but if you're lucky, they may offer you smaller portions for 1 person at a lower price.

    I was fortunate for this, though this meal of Korean sashimi and scallops still ended up being the most expensive meal I had in all of Korea. They even threw in free seafood pancake.

    I didn't end up exploring Nampo much, it's the older neighborhood, but made my way up to Gamcheon Culture Village. It is a colorful village nestled against one of the many mountains. Some of said it used to be a slum, but today, it's a place to wander around and have a coffee either overlooking it or in the village itself. There's numerous photos spots along the way.

    Last stop of the day, Songo Bay Station to take the cable car across one of the bays. I missed sunset but ended up seeing the view at night. As it wasn't busy, I ended up with a car all to myself both ways. I would've liked to arrive sooner to explore the park as well, as I wasn't keen on hiking in the dark and possibly missing the last cable car back.

    For dinner, I found a local place for pork hock soup and rice. Yum! The soup was so flavorful and it's open late.    Read more

  • Rita YeeTo the East
    Day 10

    Jeju 1

    May 11, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Jeju Day 1 - a free day before several day tours. I flew from Busan to Jeju and got to my hotel about 2pm. Not much on the itinerary today except getting noodles at the famous Jamae Guksu (Sister Noodles). I believe they used to have a small location somewhere else, but now the maps direct you to a larger place outside Jeju City. The bus system is fairly easy to navigate in Jeju, though the frequencies are questionable into evening hours.

    I ended up arriving at 3pm, but the restaurant didn't open til 4pm so I headed over to Iho Taewoo beach nearby to kill some time. The noodles itself was delicious and it's easy to order on the tablet.

    After the late lunch, it was off to Dodu Rainbow Coastal Road where you guessed it, the path along the water where it meets the sidewalk is painted the colors of the rainbow. It's a cute place and you can wander along, even stopping at a few statues along on the way. From there, the weather was nice enough to keep walking back into town along the water. It probably took about 2 hours as I tried stopping into a cafe but they were sold of the dessert I wanted, and then through Yongduam Rock and Yongyeon Pond.

    I wasn't too hungry for dinner, but made the short walk to the night market at Donggun for some snacks. It was a lively atmosphere anchored by the dancing Lobster Guys. A lot of the food portions were quite large though and best shared. I ended up getting tangerine ice cream, tangerine juice and a black pork skewer.    Read more

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